nklr: how do you determine "the best?"
Posted: Fri Dec 12, 2008 12:15 am
Hello List,
Hawking the list, waiting for someone to describe a ride, or at least
what part they have recently polished, it has left me with some time
to contemplate and meditate...which is a dangerous thing.
What did I learn or read recently that most of the folks could
benefit? I found such an article today. Largely about winners and
losers--and our perception of what standards we use to judge such
things.
From time to time we read such articles ascribing, THE BEST, such
as, "The 'best' dual sport bike is XYZ, etc. Articles that we read
with interest, realizing that if they don't select our chosen steed--
the KLR, and the cult-status it provides--we learn quickly that the
writers are indeed biased, or at least, writing with an eye patch
over one eye when they choose OUR blessed pig as only #3 of 5.
However, for the very few of us that have a seasonally-forced life
outside of the KLR, which is environmentally forced up on us during
any season that does not begin with "K",(seasons=winter1-winter2-KLR-
winter3) such as this present 1st winter season--where your very life
is at risk by hobbling out to the detached garage--due to the
onslaught of freezing rain, snow, and more freezing rain. A fiendish
mixture that obstinately sticks to everything, and everywhere you
have to walk; that mixture of wx that absolutely refuses anything
less than blowtorches--passing a brace of sleeping KLR650's--wisely
selecting the wife's 4x4 SUV to endure the onslaught of state
sponsored road borne corrosives-- we find ourselves here, at the DSN
reading the offerings of the bored, and occasionally, intellectually
endangered by those who write run-on sentences and such.
Endangered--of course, only if you believe that the writers of such
comparisons actually did the comparison...knowing full well that to
ride a KLR, is to love a KLR. The KLR HAS to be the best--regardless
what those biased, pompous overpaid verbose talking heads would say.
If the KLR is not the best,
a motorcycle for everyman or woman-
Why else would there be so many of those blessed creatures for sale
on EBay? (wink, wink)
But not to worry.
In the infinite wisdom of those who are the gate-keepers of the DSN,
we are offered the winter respite of NKLR--which is above and beyond
the over-paid imaginations of those that perennially rank the beloved
pig as a #3 of 5.
Because we are tolerant of others--
We are allowed to offer NKLR variety during these snowy interludes
that only the Left Coast will not appreciate--as they are annually
cursed with some 360 riding days a year--not being allowed to ride on
opening day of Baseball season, Mothers day, Julian tech days (where
they hope to ride in and out) and two other days for 6-12 inches of
rain in 3-4 hours, but a bonus day--3 days for rain/mudslides if it
is a leap year.
Ah, 360 riding days, not to be interrupted, by such nonsense as
freezing rain and snow. For the rest of us that are never inundated
by the traffic jambs and hair-raising lane-splitting of 'Diego and
LA, never let it be said that you could not find something
educational to read at the DSN that if not educational, well at least
amusing.
and
if the NKLR involves football, computers and subjective judgement--
something as simple as picking the 'best'--which is the subject I am
offering you tonight; so, football, computers, and history--did I
mention history? It has to be interesting....
It is about football, well sort of about football--overall, picking
the #1 of anything. Applying this article and the science of picking
the best--and when the premise of this article is appropriately
applied to judging the KLR as the best of 5 or six bikes, you will
better understand why the KLR is never rated #1 as the best dual
sport.
So,
Here it is: (author unknown--but I suspect they rode a BMW)
The Art of Determining the Winner.
After determining the Big-12 championship game participants, the BCS
computers were put to work on other major contests and today the BCS
declared Germany to be the winner of World War II.
"Germany put together an incredible number of victories beginning
with the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland and continuing on
into conference play with defeats of Poland, France, Norway, Sweden,
Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands. Their only losses came against
the U.S. and Russia; however considering their entire body of work--
including an incredibly tough Strength of Schedule--our computers
deemed them worthy of the #1 ranking."
Questioned about the #4 ranking of the United States the BCS
commissioner stated "The U.S. only had two major victories--Japan and
Germany. The computer models, unlike humans, aren't influenced by
head-to-head contests--they consider each contest to be only a
single, equally-weighted event."
Germany's Chancellor noted "Yes, we lost to the U.S.; but we defeated
#2 ranked France in only 6 weeks." Herr Chancellor has been
criticized for seeking dramatic victories to earn 'style points' to
enhance Germany's rankings. The Chancellor protested "Our contest
with Poland was in doubt until the final day and the conditions in
Norway were incredibly challenging and demanded the application of
additional forces."
The French ranking has also come under scrutiny. The BCS commented "
France had a single loss against Germany and following a preseason #1
ranking they only fell to #2."
Japan was ranked #3 with victories including Manchuria, Borneo and
the Philippines.
END
So, when you see that the US came out 4th in WWII--it now makes a lot
of sense why our beloved pig is rarely rated higher than 3 of 5.
Makes you wonder if the Germans helped formulate the answers to the
best Dual Sport bike....
Anyway,
Hope you liked this article as much as I did. If you don't find this
funny, you need to go polish your chrome KLR key.
revmaaatin. in the throws of season, 'winter1'--that is to say, only
about 120 days left in the NKLR season.
btw.. Advrider Death Valley Daze is the weekend of Jan 24th
Is the tech session going to be at your place or MIke's?
I'm planning to bring my "new arrival" 
Randy from Burbank
----- Original Message ----
From: Harry Seifert
To: revmaaatin ;